Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arapiraca and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Arapiraca: $883 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $640 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Arapiraca
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Arapiraca Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Arapiraca

🇧🇷 Brazil

$883

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arapiraca and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Arapiraca and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $883 per month in Arapiraca vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arapiraca $883
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,384 per month in Arapiraca vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arapiraca $1,384
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,885 per month in Arapiraca vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arapiraca $1,885
Chiang Mai $1,979

Arapiraca is about 6% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Arapiraca and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Arapiraca 35% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.24 R$28.50

$2.24 ฿75.5

133.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.66 R$194

$19.00 ฿640

87.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 R$51.5

$5.55 ฿187

70.63%

Cappuccino

$2.43 R$13.23

$1.67 ฿56.4

45.51%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 R$5.54

$0.64 ฿21.51

59.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.26

$0.31 ฿10.29

93.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 R$8.24

$2.36 ฿79.5

-35.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 R$16.41

$3.66 ฿123

-17.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 R$7.33

$1.95 ฿65.7

-30.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 R$8.14

$1.44 ฿48.41

4.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 R$8.36

$1.33 ฿44.97

15.79%

Eggs

$1.75 R$9.50

$2.28 ฿77.0

-23.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.70 R$36.41

$16.45 ฿554

-59.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 R$22.36

$2.78 ฿93.8

47.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.36 R$40.00

$9.31 ฿314

-20.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.33 R$7.23

$2.35 ฿79.3

-43.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.75

$0.97 ฿32.75

27.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.74 R$4.01

$1.60 ฿53.8

-53.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.48

$1.50 ฿50.6

-20.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 R$7.24

$1.28 ฿43.06

3.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.43

$1.10 ฿37.14

-9.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 R$2.43

$0.71 ฿23.79

-36.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 R$4.50

$0.49 ฿16.34

69.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.65 R$8.98

$4.14 ฿140

-60.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.55 R$41.07

$17.52 ฿590

-56.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.93

$1.61 ฿54.4

-32.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 R$7.98

$2.78 ฿93.8

-47.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 R$4.46

$0.87 ฿29.27

-5.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.60 R$237

$54.1 ฿1,823

-19.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 R$6.18

$1.16 ฿39.00

-1.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 R$3.95

$0.53 ฿17.78

37.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 R$17.35

$2.42 ฿81.6

31.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 R$6.83

$1.45 ฿48.82

-13.10%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.8K R$118.6K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

3.63%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$31.9K R$173.4K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

18.38%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$109 R$593

$62.2 ฿2,095

75.31%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$12.43 R$67.6

$12.17 ฿410

2.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.63 R$90.4

$20.12 ฿678

-17.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.87 R$130

$37.31 ฿1,257

-36.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 R$119

$3.77 ฿127

482.23%

Cinema Ticket

$6.64 R$36.08

$6.49 ฿219

2.31%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$257 R$1,396

$736 ฿24.8K

-65.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K R$59.6K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-25.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.31 R$230

$53.4 ฿1,799

-20.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.42 R$258

$24.64 ฿830

92.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 R$383

$91.5 ฿3,083

-22.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.1 R$414

$71.9 ฿2,424

5.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$293 R$1,592

$482 ฿16.3K

-39.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$262 R$1,425

$309 ฿10.4K

-15.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$636 R$3,457

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-36.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 R$2,715

$633 ฿21.3K

-21.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,800 R$9,788

$2,363 ฿79.6K

-23.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 R$6,293

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-27.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.75

5.57

110.95%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Arapiraca: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Arapiraca

$262 29.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 17.9% $47

Groceries & Markets

Arapiraca

$169 19.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 39% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arapiraca

$138 15.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 31.6% $44

Eating Out

Arapiraca

$120 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 35.2% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Arapiraca

$106 12%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 2.2% $2.3

Getting Around

Arapiraca

$52 5.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 18.8% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Arapiraca

$37 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 35.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $293 in Arapiraca versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Arapiraca versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $169 in Arapiraca vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Arapiraca wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Arapiraca

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

12:02 12:02 PM

10 h ahead of Arapiraca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

234,696

127,240

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.09 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Arapiraca Chiang Mai 15,140 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Arapiraca
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Arapiraca vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $883 in Arapiraca, $936 in Chiang Mai – Arapiraca comes out roughly 6% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,325 per month in Arapiraca and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arapiraca, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $293 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $257 per month in Arapiraca and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $883 in Arapiraca and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Arapiraca – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.